Dean Goes to the Doctor

Two Month Check-up

On July 1st, Dean had his 2-month check up with the pediatrician. I was excited to see how much he had grown, but scared to have him get his shots! I knew it was important, but I was dreading hearing his sad cry! It was so much worse than I expected! I've heard of two kinds of babies: those who don't cry at all and those who cry for a couple of minutes, but then are fine. Both types usually sleep a lot the rest of the day and might even spike a low grade fever--all normal and expected as their bodies build up those good antibodies. Apparently my baby doesn't handle pain as well as all those other babies.

The appointment started off great: Dean was so quiet and calm, stripped down to just a diaper, being weighed and measured and poked at. He weighed 11 pounds 4.5 ounces (25th percentile), was 23 1/4 inches tall (62nd percentile) and had a head circumference of 40.3 cm (84th percentile). The doctor said he was tall, skinny and needed that big head to hold his big brain, and he was completely healthy! He asked if he was smiling, cooing and gripping things (like our fingers), asked if he was eating and sleeping well and made sure I was giving him vitamin D supplement drops. He listened to Dean's heart and lungs, checked his grip, hip rotation, boy parts and soft spot then went over all his measurements and gave us instructions. He said between two and four months we should work on getting him to fall asleep on his own (which he already does at night and sometimes for naps). Then he asked if we had questions and told us a little about the vaccines.

Waiting to get shots

The pediatrician said in his career he had only seen one child come back with a reaction to a vaccine. That child broke out in hives, but did not require hospitalization and did not have any long term effects. He said the injection site might be a little red, warm and/or sore and a low fever was possible. Anything over 100.3 warranted a phone cal (in fact they want to know right away about any temperature over 100.3 for any reason in babies under four months). All of this eased my fears...even though I planned to get him vaccinated all along, all of the anti-vaccine propaganda filling social media lately had me a little nervous. The doctor even gave us a sample bottle of baby Tylenol and told us how much to give just in case Dean got a little fever.

Then the doctor left and the nurse came in with the shots. I made Ryan take my sweet baby over to the exam counter and hold him still while the nurse gave him the vaccines. The first one was a liquid in a dropper that she squirted into his mouth. He started crying then, which was unusual because he had always swallowed the gas medicine I give him at home with no objections. From there it just got worse. I sat in the chair, Ryan blocking my view, and held back tears of my own as the nurse jabbed my baby with three needles and he screamed. Ryan tried to console him after she was done, but he was too upset.

Baby's First Band-Aids

He put Dean in my arms, but holding him was not enough to comfort him. Maybe he sensed mommy's anxiety over his sad, scared cries. When the nurse left I decided to try and breastfeed him. He seemed like he might calm down, as he gulped milk and frantically grasped at my hand, but then he unlatched and screamed some more! Then he sucked for another minute and screamed for another minute, back and forth until we decided to just get him out of there! I got my crying baby dressed and in the carseat as quickly as possible. The gentle swaying of the carseat as Ryan carried it seemed to calm him down. I was so grateful to not have to carry a screaming baby down the hall and through the lobby of the pediatrician's office! Once we were in the car and on the road, Dean fell right to sleep.

In the elevator: look at those sad, teary eyes!

As soon as we got home, I fed Dean again then just sat and cuddled him while he slept. I felt so sad that my baby wasn't feeling well. Twice that afternoon when he woke up he would just scream and cry until I nursed him to sleep. I rubbed his legs while he slept, hoping to help with the soreness, and took his temperature several times. At 5:00 pm I finally decided to give my unhappy boy a dose of Tylenol for pain even though he never did get a fever. He must have been upset because his poor little legs were hurting; the Tylenol helped and I finally had my happy boy back! I gave him another dose before bed, just to make sure he could sleep, and by the next day he was his normal happy, alert self. Now that I know how he reacts to needles, I am really dreading the four month shots.

Sleeping on mommy

Really I just can't imagine my baby being four months old! I cannot believe we are already almost through his 3rd month--they really do grow up so fast. I don't want to miss anything. I often pick him up and hold him, when he is perfectly happy in his bouncer or swing, just because I want to. After his early morning feedings I put him in bed with me to sleep for another hour or two (bad habit...I know, but I love my baby cuddles!) I miss him when he naps and find myself checking on him all too often while trying to hurry and get some things done around the house. I know I am spoiling him in every way possible, but I cannot help myself.

Another Visit to the Doctor

W have been pretty lucky to have such a healthy baby. His biggest problem thus far has been the occasional baby acne breakout in his first 6 weeks of life, but we got a handle on that. I try not to bathe him more than needed because I don't want to dry out his sensitive skin. I use lotion only after baths so his skin doesn't become dependent on it. I keep his neck rolls dry and his face clean and that seemed to worked for us.

A few weeks ago Dean started developing a mild case of cradle cap so I started giving him baths every 3 days instead of 5, scrubbing his head with a soft bristled brush they gave me at the hospital; in a week it cleared right up. Unfortunately more frequent baths made what we thought was a mild skin irritation behind one knee much worse. He developed these really red areas on the backs of both knees, some dry patches on his legs and chest and even started getting a bumpy red rash on his tummy. I put Aquaphor on the red spots and dry spots and even tried using baby oil once instead of lotion after baths, but nothing seemed to clear it up completely. If I missed the Aquaphor for a day the areas would be right back to bright red again.

Poor Dean's rash

Then the insides of his elbows got bright red and those areas as well as the backs of his knees would weep fluid that would leave crusty spots on his skin. He had a dry red patch on his chest and more dry red streaks in the creases by his arm pits. I did some research and thought it was probably eczema. I bought Aveeno Eczema Therapy lotion and gave him a lukewarm bath with no soap, patted him dry and lotioned him up. My poor baby's skin looked mildly to severely irritated everywhere but his face, neck, back and diaper area. He had some bright red spots, lighter red dry patches and pink rough areas. There was a little improvement overnight, but not enough for my liking so I made an appointment with his pediatrician first thing that morning.

Waiting for the doctor...he's not too sure about this

I was a little worried how Dean would react to the the doctor's office, since the last time he was there just three weeks earlier he got poked, but he was perfectly behaved and even fell asleep in my arms waiting for the doctor (who was running behind) to come in. The doctor confirmed that our baby Dean has Eczema. He prescribed a steroid ointment (hydrocortisone 2.5%) to use on the really bad spots and also wrote me a prescription for some nystatin cream that I could fill to treat it if it didn't clear up with the hydrocortisone (which could mean it's a yeast infection) or if he got irritation in typically moist areas like his neck rolls or diaper area. He said eczema is often genetic so it's possible he could have flare-ups here and there as he gets older, but many babies outgrow it.

After just one application of the hydrocortisone we saw a noticeable difference and in three days the really red areas were completely better. I continued using the Aveeno Eczema lotion every morning to keep his skin soft and rash free and things were looking up. Our boy was healed and looking handsome in time for Pioneer Day (July 24)!

Our adorable boy on Pioneer Day (he slept through fireworks...again)

Unfortunately, it did not last. But I think I know now what caused his bad eczema breakout: the baby oil. I bought it hoping it would help hold the moisture in his skin after baths. The first time I used it was the night before his eczema got super red and starting weeping the first time, but it had already been getting progressively worse so I did not think anything of it. I used baby oil for a second time after his bath this last Sunday night. Within 24 hours he had horrible red spots again on the backs of his knees, insides of his elbows, creases by his armpits and one spot on his chest. In addition he had some dry, bumpy, pink areas on his chest and on his back. He had never had any breakouts on his back so that was my biggest clue: I had rubbed baby oil on his back the night before.

Sunday night before his bath and baby oil rub down...

24 hours later

Again I had to start treating poor Dean's eczema with his prescription hydrocortisone ointment. I gave him a quick wipe down with a damp wash cloth Monday night and treated the bad areas for three days with hydrocortisone ointment. Again he seems to be healed. He will continue to get daily Aveeno Eczema Therapy lotion rubdowns, which he has started to enjoy quite a bit, and I will probably only bathe him with soap once a week for a little while. No more baby oil for this baby though...good thing I only bought the travel sized bottle!

"Grandma thinks I'm Perfect" (I think she's right!)

The Boy Who Has My Heart

I am so in love with this fun, happy boy of mine! He has me right where he wants me (and he knows it): ready to jump any time he makes a little fuss! I mentioned previously that he will drop his binky and fuss over and over until I pick him up; now he will act all upset and cry to get me to pick him up. As soon as I pick him up he shuts right up, looks up at me with those big, blue eyes and smiles--as if to say "I get you every time!" The little stinker...he's just so damn cute I can't help but smile back and laugh a little to myself because at twelve weeks old (yes it has already been that long), he already knows how to work mommy.

My Little Distraction

The kid seems to have a sixth sense...any time I sit down to eat dinner or get on my computer (hence the lack of blogging in the last month) he gets grumpy and needs/wants to be held. He makes it hard to get anything done! In fact he was perfectly happy in his bouncer until I got on my computer today: he is fussing as I type right now. But he makes the saddest little face and I just can't ignore it! He's doing this new thing now where right before he cries he sticks out his bottom lip and puffs up his cheeks--it's the saddest face you've ever seen, buy it's actually pretty adorable (although we have yet to get a picture of the full face).

He's even cute when he cries!

It's not just the constant interruptions that make things like blogging, eating, working, paying bills, vacuuming, writing thank you cards, returning phone calls, cleaning toilets, or even getting myself ready for the day hard to accomplish, it is also the breastfeeding! I never realized just how time consuming it was. I kept wondering why it seemed like I could never get anything done during the day, then I realized that I spend about 3 hours every day sitting with a baby attached to my boob! That's almost half of a work day spent being a food source. He likes to take his time eating, so each of his six daily meals lasts about 30 minutes.

My Buddy Needs His Schedule

I have also wondered why I am so tired all of the time. Dean is still a wonderful sleeper; he goes to sleep between 8:30 and 9:30 pm and sleeps until about 6:00 am, when he wakes up to eat and get changed into a fresh diaper, then falls back asleep until 9:00 or 10:00 am. I get plenty of sleep so I shouldn't be tired. I've come to realize it's not the quantity, but the quality of sleep. Becoming a mother has turned me into an incredibly light sleeper. Ryan moves and I'm awake. Dean grunts in his sleep and my eyes pop open. In fact for a few weeks I was waking Dean up to feed him without realizing I was waking him up! He would start to stir a little so I assumed he was hungry and waking up. I would sit up, pick him up, change his diaper and nurse him. One night I stuck his binky back in his mouth instead and he was back in a deep sleep in seconds. I did this for two or three nights instead of getting him up to feed him and he stopped eating between 2:00 and 4:00 am and started sleeping through until 6:00.

This baby of mine has really put himself on a schedule. I feed him on demand, so whenever he is hungry. From the beginning he has wanted to eat every two to three hours and that has stayed pretty much the same as he has gotten bigger. At just a few weeks old he started getting grumpy if I kept him up past about 9:00 pm. That's when I realized that this babe of ours needs a bedtime to function better. He even puts himself to sleep...as long as he can see mommy or daddy. He wakes up at the same time every morning, eats around the same times every day and is ready for bed at the same time every night. This is perfect for me: I like a schedule!

Sleeping Dean is almost as cute as smiling Dean!

All Smiles

In the mornings, he wakes up happy and sometimes gassy: I get some of the best smiles from him right when he wakes up, but he goes back and forth between sad faces, grunting and kicking, until a little (or not so little) toot comes out them he's all smiles again for a few minutes, then frustrated and gassy, then happy. I get some really great smiling pictures in the mornings.

No matter how tired I am I always go to bed happy and wake up happy thanks to this little boy of ours. At night I feel like I could just watch him sleep all night. In the morning his constant smiles make me smile. He smiles so much now! Sometimes he gets these big grins on face where it looks like he is so excited he can hardly contain himself! I can't wait to hear him giggle all the time, but right now I just love watching him smile and coo! Some nights he will sit and grin and make little noises at us for five or ten minutes straight--it makes me so happy. He is seriously the cutest kid ever!

Morning Smiles!

He's hard not to love! Not even three months old and he is already so happy, energetic, social and observant. I can lay him on the couch or in his bassinet and he will just look around the room, completely content for the longest stretches of time (if he's in the right mood). It's like he is just taking everything in. He sees us from across the room now and will smile at Ryan or I from short distances rather than just smiling at whoever is holding him. He will sit in his bouncer and just kick and reach for the little hanging birds, sometimes smiling and grunting at them. He is talking more and more: lots of cooing, an occasional squeal and sometime random little yells. The other day he suddenly yelled "Da!" or something like that then proceeded to grin and coo at me for a good two minutes. It is so fun hearing that sweet little voice.

That Smile!

Dean will let just about anybody hold him and will smile at anyone who looks at him. He is a little camera shy and will often stop smiling as soon as I pull out my phone to take a picture, but I have still captured some great smiles. He really does smile so much--sometimes I even catch him smiling at the birds on his bouncer or smiling up at nothing while he lays in his bassinet kicking his feet around and making cooing and grunting noises. He also makes some fun faces and lately has started moving his eyebrows and sticking his tongue out, both of which are so cute!

Already a goofball!

Growing Up Too Fast

He's growing so fast it seems. I already had to pack up all his cute newborn outfits and some of his 0-3 month sized clothes. I am pleased he got to wear each one at least twice, but still sad to box them up after realizing they no longer fit. He is already wearing 3-6 month sized pajamas and doesn't have much room to grow in length in those. I had a really hard time transitioning him to bigger diapers, but clearly it was time; I was changing at least a blow out a day for a while. Now he's in size one diapers and they seem to hold everything in much better, even though they seemed a little big on him at first! (As I was writing this Dean was pooping...what do you know, a blowout!) At first I had to fold the top of the size one diapers down in the front and now they fit perfectly, but are getting smaller on him by the day. He'll be in size twos in no time.

Look how big the newborn diapers used to be (top left compared to bottom right in size 1s)!

My growing boy makes me happy and sad. I already get sad looking back at his newborn pictures and realizing how much he has grown! When we first had him home the newborn diapers looked so big on him and now size ones are looking smaller and smaller on his growing body. The newborn clothes that were once baggy are now too tightl. He used to look so tiny in his carseat and his bouncer but not so much any more. He's growing into and out of so many things! I had to remove the infant inserts from his carseat and his bouncer a few weeks ago and that made me sad. His little feet even hang over the edge of his nest co-sleeper in our bed so we had to move him to the bassinet, which is much bigger. He is starting to fill out and not feel so tiny and fragile in my arms anymore. I love seeing him hit milestones (like smiling and cooing and sleeping through the night), and I get so excited watching him become more aware and learn new things (like pushing his binky back in his mouth all by himself--as long as it doesn't fall far) but it's sad to see him growing so fast.

Getting So Big!

My Stylish Little Man

I am not just spoiling him with attention...I can't even go to Walmart without browsing the baby section and my new favorite stores are The Children's Place, Gymboree and Carters. The boy gets something new almost any time I leave the house! I just really love shopping for him. I never knew how fun little boy clothes could be. I absolutely love dressing him every morning! I get excited to put him in new outfits for the first time. I got so many cute outfits for him at my shower that it's not like he needs any more, but I keep shopping...I just can't help myself!

Some of my favorite outfits (I only bought 3...my friends and family have good taste!)

He is getting quite the little hat collection (including a new cowboy hat) and last week I bought him his first (and second) pair of shoes! I have also decided I love the little rompers. I bought his first one in St. George (plus he has some that were gifts he is growing into now) and I have bought him at least seven more since then. He is just so adorable in them! Plus they are nice and cool for summer. Even with all the attention and clothes, we have decided we are not spoiling him, we just really love him a whole big extra lot!

Since Independence Day was going to be his first big holiday I decided he had to have a patriotic little outfit! He had an adorable little romper and hat for Independence Day, that he wore for a party the day before, and a onesie that says "Mommy's Little Firecracker" that he wore on the holiday. He has another little patriotic onesie he wore this month and a little plaid romper and matching hat he wore on Pioneer Day on the 24th. I was hoping he would see his first fireworks on the 24th of July, but he fell asleep...again. We did fireworks on July 3rd and 4th and little Dean slept right through them both nights (thanks to his noise canceling headphones). Like I said, the kid knows when it's bedtime and bedtime comes before it's dark enough for fireworks!

Patriotic Baby (and matching mommy...yes I'm one of THOSE moms)!

Learning New Things

Dean has been really studying his hands and feet lately; he moves them around, watching intently and even hits himself in the head sometimes when he flings an arm up. He is constantly swinging his arms around, grasping his hands together and kicking his feet up in the air. It's only a matter of time before he starts grabbing his feet--I never thought I would be so excited for such small milestones! It is so much fun to watch babies discover new things and become more focused and aware. 

Just over a week ago our boy discovered something new: his thumb. Apparently it tastes great. In one day I caught him sucking it three times. I try to encourage the binky over the thumb because thumb sucking seems like a much harder habit to break later. Every once in a while though he will spit out the binky in favor of his thumb, or find his thumb in a restless sleep and soothe himself back into dreamland. I have to admit that it is pretty darn cute!

Our little thumb sucker!

That same week he started doing something else new: singing along with music. The first time I noticed it happening was in the car. I had music playing and he was in the back seat oooing away. I thought it was so cute how vocal he was being! As soon as I turned the car off and the music stopped, he stopped too. A couple days later he was sitting in his bouncer kicking and watching his birds. Behind him on the TV a movie had just ended. The end credits started to roll and music came on; little Dean starting making his little oooing noises again and continued non-stop until the music on the TV stopped. The third time was the sweetest: I was singing to him and he was looking up at me grinning and oooing along with me...melted my heart! I just love his sweet little voice. In addition to singing he also grunts himself to sleep when he is particularly sleepy; he moans and grunts, half asleep, as he kicks his legs up in the air. It's like he's voicing his displeasure at not being rocked to sleep by yours truly.

Sleeping Angel

The most exciting thing happened on Wednesday, July 22. Ryan was in bed with Dean propped up on his legs talking to him and getting him to smile and coo. I went downstairs to get a bowl of cereal and let Saisha outside. Suddenly Ryan started yelling at me. I thought he wanted me to bring him something so I yelled up the stairs back at him and he responded with, "He just laughed!" My baby laughed for the first time and I missed it. When I got back upstairs Ryan tried to get him to do it again, but Dean was not cooperating. All day I tried to get my smiling baby to laugh every chance I had, but I got nothing out of him but the regular smiles. That night I gave him a quick sponge bath with a damp washcloth and rubbed him down with lotion. He was smiling and cooing the whole time and suddenly it sounded like he choked on his little smile and he let out a giggle! I finally got to hear my baby laugh and it was the most wonderful sound I have ever heard! Today (Sunday) he laughed the biggest, best laugh yet--daddy is pretty funny to him!

The big smile after the laugh!

Love My Guys

I still love watching Ryan be a father. We are lucky because his job is flexible enough he can usually stay home with Dean if I have something going on. I started mediating again in the beginning of July. I had a mediation in downtown Salt Lake so Ryan spent the afternoon home with Dean. Boy did Ryan get a treat! Dean pooped about an hour after I left forcing Ryan to change his 3rd (I think) diaper ever (don't worry...he's changed more now). Ryan waited a couple of minutes to make sure Dean was done pooping before he opened the diaper. He took it off, cleaned him up then turned to throw out the dirty diaper. I guess Dean wasn't done, because he pooped all over the changing pad. It got all over him and his clothes! Ryan had to change him out of his onesie and take off the changing pad cover (he left the dirty stuff on top of the washer for me--it really was a lot of poo!) Then while trying to put a new shirt on Dean, he got one of his arms stuck in a sleeve for a minute and Dean got all upset. 

Both SO Handsome! I just LOVE this picture!

Ryan admitted to me that he understands why I have a hard time getting stuff done during the day. He said that he had a bunch of stuff he was going to do and was super motivated, then Dean had the diaper fiasco and was fussy; once he took care of him and held him and fed him a bottle, the motivation was gone. I came home to find my two favorite guys cuddling on the chair. Ryan had just gotten a fussy, hungry Dean to sleep and I had to wake him to feed him. I still wonder if the couple I was mediating for noticed my boobs getting bigger throughout the mediation--I was so full of milk by the time I got home that Dean practically choked on it. Even though I was only gone for 5 hours I missed my baby so much that I could hardly stand the long ride home on Trax! The few times we have left him I have missed him so much and been so anxious to get back to him.

Daddy Love

Even though Dean keeps me busy and I might miss out on some things here and there because I have to stay home with him, it is totally worth it. This adorable boy of ours makes me smile all the time. I cannot imagine life without him and am so perfectly content with our little family right now. I have never in my life treasured so many little moments and wished time could slow down more than I do now.

We all love our little Dean (even Saisha)!

A Busy, Busy June

The days are flying by and this boy of mine keeps me so busy I barely have time to document everything that is going on! I can't believe summer is already halfway over. Nothing makes the passing of time more apparent than looking at little Dean and seeing how much he has changed since his birth 11 weeks ago today. He is becoming more aware every day and does the cutest little things. For our little family June was a busy month and flew right by. Dean got to experience some firsts that month...

Our little cutie!

First Road Trip

We took Dean to St. George the first weekend in June to celebrate Ryan's mom's 60th birthday and introduce Dean to his two great-grandma's down there. He did so good in the car! I sat in the back with him because a four hour car ride seemed like too long for my 5 week old baby to be back there alone. It worked out well though--I was right there any time he dropped his binky or got fussy. We had to stop once on the drive there and once on the drive back so I could nurse him, but overall the drive went smoothly.

Our lucky boy has now met all 3 living great-grandmas!

In St. George Dean went to a restaurant for the first time. For a birthday lunch, we went to Olive Garden with Ryan's mom, grandma and brother while Ryan and his dad golfed. Dean was calm and quiet next to me in his carseat the whole time. He was really good the whole trip. His grandma looked forward to his contagious smiles and his grandpa looked forward to taking naps together on the couch. Dean was so good we even got to play a game of cards one night while he napped in his bouncer. We went shopping at the outlet stores and I have never been so proud to have such a good baby. There was another mom we kept passing in the baby clothes stores. Her baby was close to Dean's age and just cried and screamed even though she was holding him and doing everything she could to soothe him. My baby sat contently in his stroller and seemed to enjoy being pushed around. I felt bad for that other mom and so grateful that I do not have a fussy baby.

Priceless Moments from St. George

Birthday Parties

Dean attended two birthday parties this month. It would have been three, but we were in St. George for Bailey's 3rd birthday party the previous weekend (we brought her gift to her brother's party). The first party we went to was for Dylan. My youngest sister's son just turned one on June 9, so his party was the following weekend. Dylan is a tank and it's even more apparent to me now that I have my skinny little baby! It was so fun watching him dive into his cake--he definitely got messier than any of his girl cousins have (daddy smashing his face in the cake may have had something to do with it). He recently started walking so it was fun seeing him walk around and play with his sister and older cousins. In another year that will be Dean trying to keep up with all the bigger kids!

Dean was a hit (as baby's usually are). He got held by grandma and grandpa, his cousins and all of his aunts, including his great aunt Lisa who he charmed with his smiles. Bailey already adores Dean and always tells me she loves baby Dean and kisses his head. Dylan is interested, but not very gentle--he' a typical rambunctious boy. After playing in the water and then eating cake, the kid was exhausted; my sister opened all of Dylan's presents (mostly clothes) while my not so little nephew napped.

Happy Birthday Dylan!

Dean's aunt Melissa turned 30 (twenty-ten as she likes to call it) on June 21, but because she was going to be spending her birthday in the hospital we had an early party for her. My sister (whose birthday ended up being on Father's Day this year) had abdominal surgery because of complications of Crohn's Disease two days before her birthday. On Thursday morning, the day before Melissa's surgery, her best friend contacted me and our other sister Kim to enlist our help in planning a surprise party for Melissa that night. We all brought something and set up in the picnic area in Melissa's apartment complex. All of our family came as well as a few of Melissa's friends. We grilled hot dogs and had cake.

It ended up being a very successful party despite the quick planning. Our "surprise" needs work though...she saw a couple of our group hiding in a stairwell as she came around the corner! Dean is going to have fun at these gatherings in a few years; my youngest sister's son is only eleven months older and my best friend's son is about two weeks younger. It's always fun getting littles together and seeing how different they are in size and temperment--even so young they all have their own little distinct personalities!

Happy Birthday Melissa!

First Father's Day

We did not get to spend Father's Day quite the way we planned. Because my sister was in the hospital, we were supposed to have my nieces staying with us all weekend. Ryan was excited about it because he loves those girls; he even said it would make his Father's Day better because he would have his boy and his girls! Ryan's parents were also in town that weekend because his sister and her husband went on a church trip with the youth so his parents had stayed at their house to take care of their five young boys while they were gone, and decided to stay through the weekend. With all of this going on, Ryan did not get the quiet day at home he planned!

Dean loves his Daddy!

Kenzie stayed with us through the weekend, but my sister's youngest, Brinlee opted to stay with grandma (my mom) instead. So Sunday morning Kenzie, Ryan and I met my dad at Market Street Grill and bought him brunch for Father's Day. It ended up being a longer brunch than we anticipated, but we had a good time talking (and starving) while we waited for our food. After brunch we picked up a plant, some stuffed animals, balloons and a fancy cupcake to take to my sister in the hospital as a Get Well/Happy Birthday gift. We met up with my dad again there and hung out for a while before heading out to Ryan's sister's house to see his parents. We had a few minutes with them alone before Ryan's sister and her family got home from church, then we all just talked and everyone took turns holding baby Dean.

Father's Day Outtings

We were only able to stay for about an hour and a half before we had to go back to the hospital to meet my mom and pick up Brinlee. When we went back the kids and Melissa wrote messages to their dad on balloons (it was their first Father's Day without him) and we went outside to release them so they could float up to him in heaven.

After the hospital Ryan finally got to do the thing he loves best: relax in our backyard. Kenzie and Brinlee came home with us to spend the night (their mom got released from the hospital the next day). We came home and ate dinner then sat under the tiki hut in the backyard and Ryan opened his cards and gifts. For his first Father's Day I gave him a grilling tool kit and a book with parenting tips by famous coaches, and Dean gave him four children's books about fathers and sons for him to read to Dean before bed (maybe not quite yet, but soon). Overall we had a good day and I think even though it was a busy day, Ryan still had a good time.

He really is RAD!

Our First Bad Day

The last Monday in June was Dean's first really bad day! I don't know if he was gassy, just had a tummy ache or was starving because he's having a growth spurt, but I had one unhappy boy on my hands! He started getting fussy while I was in the shower. He was sitting where he always does while I shower: in his bouncer on the bathroom floor where I could see him through the shower door. I had to get out of the shower a few times to give him his binky that he kept knocking away. Then he got fussy enough I knew it was time to cut my shower short. I didn't even dry off--I just threw on my robe.

By the time I picked him up he was really crying-with tears-and very upset! I tried to soothe him by holding him close and bouncing him, which has always worked before, but not this time. I sat on the bed bouncing and shushing him, while trying to get him to take his binky, but he just got more upset! Finally I decided to try skin on skin. I stripped him down to his diaper, put him on my bare chest and wrapped my robe around him to keep him warm. He just seemed to get more and more upset no matter what I tried. Then I tried to nurse him--it worked. Poor boy finally stopped crying and started sucking. He fell asleep while nursing on the first side.

I gently put my sleeping baby down on the bed and went into the bathroom to get dressed. I got my hair towel dried and brushed and got half dressed before he was crying again! I went back to the bedroom in my skirt and a bra and picked him to comfort him. Again he just cried and cried. So I nursed him on the second side and he calmed down. He fell asleep again, but this time I didn't dare move. I ended up laying in bed with my baby sleeping on my chest for 45 minutes.

For some reason he was grumpy off and on all day. He got a little better later in the afternoon, so Dean and I went to see the movie "Inside Out" with my dad, Ryan and our two nieces (who were spending the night). I figured if he got a little fussy in a kids movie it would be okay. I was right. There were quite a few kids in that theater for a weeknight--many of them toddlers. There were at least two babies even older than Dean. One mother took her fussy baby out twice and another spent half the movie standing near the exit bouncing her baby to keep her calm. Dean was not putting up with his headphones, so I held him close to my chest, covering his exposed ear with my finger whenever the movie got loud. He only fussed a little a few times, but never bad enough I had to stand up or take him out, thankfully. The next day he was back to normal.

I feel very lucky that our good days far outnumber the bad ones! Dean is really such a sweet boy and is happy (or at least content) 97% of the time. When he is fussy it's usually nothing a some cuddles with mommy, porch sitting with daddy or an occasional dose of gas drops can't fix. I am so grateful for my happy, healthy boy!